The Penn's Grove record., 1887-04-02
Billy" ThOmpsODs War ON
the ssRussians.'

~ - RN"afh
took place on Friday at Princeton.
: Billy ThOmpsODs War ON
the "Russians.'
The following article taken from
Mondays Times is a good example of
the gullible arguments produced by
VIM. J. Thompson, Of Gloucesle who
controls The big seine their, and a few
other up river fishermen who want fish
ing stopped down the river so more ish
will ascend to their nets, but 10 Il
is deceived by them. 1t is Il fine ex-
hibjtion of the balderdash articles got
ten up to please a readers appetite by
reports after being toddied by those
who have some selfish interest at stake.
cover in Jersey there is "A war The
brawny fishermen of the Delaware riv-
er have started IA crusade against the
sturgeon pirates of Delaware Bay and
the battle is to be fought out in the
legislature halls at Trenton. A bill
forbidding the fishing fer the mud-stlr-
ring sturgeon before the roses of June
bloom has been offered III the Senate
and it has provoked Il lively fight.
'.The friends of the b5ll say that the
interests of the %ish-tating people OF
New Jersey and Pennsylvania demand
ed the passage of the act in order to
prevent the determination of the food
fish of the Delaware river. If the bill
does not become a law the advocates
say that sturgeon, roci. and the popu-
lar shad will soon be rangers in the
waters Of the Delaware, The propa-
CATION of food fish in the Delaware riv-
Ell calls for prompt measures restrain
ing the ravages of the sturgeon pirates
of the bay, who, like the menhaden
fishers, are creating wide havoc among
the treasures OF the deep.
with the return of spring and the
approach of the shad the discussion of
the evil has taken on the keenest edge
down among the fishermen of Glouces-
ter. Old Billy Fowler, the hester of
the "gillers,' - used to see twenty-five
| or thirty surgeons dragged in at al
most every haul of the the big shad net
but now he might industriously seek
for the sturgeon and would fail to
find one in the neighborhoOd Of Glou-
cester. The toothsome rock Il few
years ago played in the Delaware and
were gathered up by the fsliermeM
along the river, but they, too are dis.
| appearing. The sturgeon and the rock
| naturally seek to come up the Della
ware river and deposit their spawn in
the natural breeding ground, but the
wall OF the nets that the pirates have
| strung across Delaware Bay prevent
them. The schools of shad also meet
the iufieXible barriers and the planked
shad industry that has made Glouces-
ter famous amoung the epicures of the
world is threatened with destruction.
1.-The sturgeon fishers of the bay are
said to be in The employ of Russian
food companies, and their object is to
| secure the roe of the sturgeon, which
becomes caviare after being properly
treated. Caviare is a popular dish of
Of tie Cars subjects, and is a fayorite
morstl with the heavy drinkers of the
North. 1t is claimed that the article
| is a corrective aud tones mp the stpm-
| acIi after "A debauch. 1t is high-priced
diet in Europe. and as the surgeons
only to a limited degree haunt the wa
ters Of the Volga 81 the Don, Russian
capitalists declare big dividends in
their enterprise of catching American
sturgeon and sending cargoS of O to
Russia. The Delaware IS the centre
of attraction for the finest sturgeon, as
well as the hest shad and rock, and
| Russian companies have put inlpeeun-
iaus Jersey and Delaware fishermen at
work patherng tp tiie sturgeon WHEN
! they first enter the bay and before they
reach the spawning grounds. Tie
a~ntl-sturgeou pirates say that they
have the deepest sympathy for the
caviare-eaters Of MuscOvy and while
the fsa-eaters Of Jersey are "A patient
and long suilrring people. they must
draw the line ID an enterprise which
will give the Russian dealers an album
dance OF caviare, hpt which will make
a I.50 st ufgeon worth $50 here and
drive the shad and rock to other re-
gions.
THE Russian companies pay Sl.2J
a roe to the pirates, Roes average al
most / 1000, 600 eggs and that means Sc
many mcipient sturgeon never reach
their spawning ground up the Della
ware, and the hired fishermen SCI
that as few surgeons as possible pas
the nets which, together with th'
boats, are OWNED by the foreign eapi
talists. The number of shad and roel
that run into the nets OF the pirates an
almost countless, and they are wanton
IL thrown overheard. The ''mammy
rock, which if allowed 10 reach 1t